Price-tagging means.



' c. SAUNDERS. PRICE TAGGING MEANS.

APPLICATION FlLED FEB. 5. 191B.

Patented Mar. 18,19l9.--

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CLARENCE SAUNDERS, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR T IPIGGLY WIGGLY CORPORATION, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

PBICE-TAGGING MEANS.

memos.

Application filed February 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE SAUNDERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Memphis, Shelby county, and State of Tennessee, have invented and discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Price-Tagging Means, of which the following is a specification.

In the use of self serving stores it is important that the prices of packages of goods offered for sale should be clearly and conveniently designated so that customers may readily see in making their selections and (with the same glance by which they locate and observe the goods, what prices they are expected to pay for different articles and difierent brands of the same kinds of goods and also make no mistake in applying the proper price thereto. The object of my in vention is to provide means for so displaying and pricing goods that the purpose just stated. is efficiently accomplished; the necessity for marking each package is obviated; the customers may readily obtain the information respecting prices needed to guide them in their purchases; re-marking when desired may be quickly accomplished, and all with no unnecessary labor or expense, also means which has the widest scope of adaptability irrespective of variety of prices, or frequent change in rices of the goods and commodities offered or sale, all and other- IWlSG as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which. are made a part hereof, and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts,

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a section of a store cabinet, or shelving, arranged for the display of goods particularly .with a view of use in a self-serving store and illustrating my improved price tag and the method of its use,

Fig. 2, a detailed perspective view showing the edge of one shelf with one of my inproved price tags attached,

Fig. 3, an edge view of said price tag and its hanger, and,

Fig. 4, a perspective view of one corner of the tag holding board.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 18, 1919.

Serial No. 215,508.

In said drawings the portions marked A represents the casing or cabinet; B, the price tag; and C, the board for holding the tags.

The cabinet is, or may be, of any appropriate construction, having shelves 1O arranged an appropriate distance apart and vertical partitions 11 adapted to divide each shelf into compartments of appropriate length for containing a lot, or the quantity of goods, or. a pre-determined number of packages of a certain size of certain goods, desired in making up the sales stock. Tn Fig. 1 the arrangement is illustrated, a number of the compartments being filled with goods and a number are left vacant for the purpose of better illustration.

The price tag B is made of any appropriate shape and material, but I prefer the square-tags, as illustrated, formed with perforations adjacent to one corner so that when hung in position they will present a substantially diamond-shaped appearance. Each compartment in the cabinet is provided with a hanger 15 depending from a staple 16, or similar attaching device, inserted in the edge of the shelf forming the top of the compartment and approximately midway of the length of said compartment. These hangers 15 are formed with hooks 17 on their lower ends, adapted to be inserted through perforations 18 formed near one corner of the tags. The upper end of each hanger is formed wvith an eye 19 which engages with one of the staples 16, for forming a connection which permits the tag to swing freely and not interfere with the removal of goods from the compartments. Said staples 16 are preferably inserted in the edge of the shelf forming the tops of each compartment with one prong on either side of its lower corner, as shown, so that the hanger may swing back under the shelf [without bending.

The depending member 15 is of substantial rigid construction to the end that it will always swing in normally downward posi tion regardless of how it may be disturbed from this position; a. g. by striking against the packages or articles as they are being removed or otherwise handled by the custom ers in the store. Said hangers would also be similarly disturbed or. knocked against by persons passing down the aisle Way, as during crowded periods. The supported end of the hanger is also preferably normally non-removably attached to prevent complete displacement or removal of the device by causes such as stated above.

The hooked or looped portion 17 is of ap preciable length whereby it may embrace an appreciable corner portion of the rigid price tag B to the end that said tag may be held against independent swinging in the direction of the front or rear of the goods in the compartment, and thereby held in such position as to completely conceal the price mark; but on the other hand will be allowed to swing laterally, or from side to side thereof with perfect freedom and at the same time held 1n a manner to' insure that the price mark willalways be to the front.

The board C is of any size desired or needed for any particular store and has numerous pins 20 projecting from its surface and arranged in rows, staggered in vertical relation, as'shown. These pins are of a'size corresponding substantially with the size of the" perforations 18 in the tags and permit said tags to be easily mounted thereon. They preferably project at a slight upward angle to better retain the tags; and are preferably pointed to facilitate the placing of the tags thereon. A suitable number of tags bearing uniform price marks are hung upon I each of said pins. The pins are arranged in horizontal and vertical rows, pins 1n the alternate horizontal rows being arranged in staggered relation. This arrangement permits the tags to hang in close relation and the area of the board to be completely utilized, the space between the tags being only sufiicient to permit the tags to be readily seized at the edges with the fingers. The tags are arranged, in respect to prices, with thetop tag of the left hand row representing the lowest price and the prices increasing from the top to the bottom of said row, and the same way in each succeeding row toward the right, until suflicient tags have been provided to designate all the prices needed for theline of commodities carried for sale by the store.

In use, various commodities ofi 'ered for sale are distributed in lots throughout packages the prices are readily ascertained and the appropriate price tag selected and hung in place. In the case of goods purchased in bulk form, they are put up by the store in packages ofpre-determined weight, before being distributed to the display cabinets, and the prices determined according to the weight, or the quantity in each package. Other items may be sold by the dozen or by the piece or in other quantities. Tn distributing goods for sale a lot of a single commodity, in packages of uniform size and weight, is placed in each compartment, so that each package or thing in each compartment can be sold for the same price. A tag representing the proper price for each package or thing in each compartment is hung upon the hook 17 of the hanger 15 in front of said compartment. A single price tag thus hangs directly in front of each lot of packages or things and displays the price to the customer at the same time he observes case. As the prices fluctuate, from time to time, the price tag may be removed from said hook, as often as required, and another price tag bearing the appropriate new price substituted therefor. The tag removed is placed upon the proper pinon the board C i and a tag bearing the appropriate price removed from another pin and placed in position on the hook. This method obviates the necessity of marking each package when placed in the cabinet and remarking the packages from time to time as the prices ch. nge. The only thing required to be done is to remove one price tag and substitute another and,vpresto, the contents of an entire compartment are re-marked. By reason of the tag being hung upon the hanger 15 in a position immediately in front of the goods in each compartment the customers are prevented from making any mistakes as to prices, inasmuch as the price is indicated by figures of a size and character that can be easily read by anyone capable of reading; and as it hangs directly in front of the goods, centrally of the compartment containing the goods, no mistakes can be made in the application of prices to the goods.

This method and means of price tagging is therefore not only convenient and eflicient, preventing mistakes by customers, but

is economical in use and a time and labor saving invention of no small importance in a store handling a large variety of commodities, such as an ordinary grocery store.

By arranging all of the tags upon a board, or tag container, such as board C,

the attendant is able to go through a store carrying the board with him and in a very short time make such changes .in prices of various commodities as are required to be made from time to time, one person beingplete stock, which is done with ease and.

facility. Each tag being hung on a staple 16 set at an angle over the corner of the shelf, as'shown, is permitted to swing freely and in any direction, while the rigid hanger 15 insures i-ts uniform position in relation I to thecompartment.

Having thus fully described my said-invention What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Means for indicatmg the price of pack? aged goods ofi'ered for sale and arranged in separate compartments of a display cabinet the several packages in each compartment being of the same value, .which consists of a hanger suspended to swing freely in front of the compartment, and 'a tag detachably secured to the lower end of said hanger at a position in front of the compartment and the packages therein whereby a customer may observe both the goods and the price thereof at a single glance, substantially as set forth.v

2. Means for indicating the price of pack-' aged goods in compartments of a display cabinet comprising a single tag for each compartment bearing the price of each package therein, a hanger on which said tag is detachably mounted, and a universal connection between said hanger and the top of each compartment intermediate the length thereof, whereby said tag is suspended in a position in front of the compartment and the goods therein to bring both the goods and the price thereof within the range of a single glance of the eye and in a manner not to interfere with placing goods in or removing them from said compartment, substantially as set forth. ,1

3. A means for price-marking goods arranged in lots in a salesroom, which consists in mounting a hanger on a swinging connection immediately in front of each lot, and mounting a detachable price tag in position to bring th tag and the goods which its price indicates within the same focus of the eye, substantially as set forth.

4. A means for price-marking goods in asalesroom comprising a rigid hanger mounted to swing adjacent to. and in front of the goods and formed with a hooked or doubled end portion with its-two members forming a narrow spacebetween them, and a rigid price tag formed with a perforation by which it is detachably and dependingly mounted on said hooked portion with a .part to one side of said perforation in the narrow space between said members, whereby said tag is held with its face bearing the price mark toward the front, substantially as set forth.

5. A means for price-tagging goods distributed in lots of uniform value in a cabinet divided into' spaces for the respective lots comprising a hanger suspended to 'swing freely in front of each of said lots and provided with a detachable price tagon its lower end, said tag being hung in a positlon in front of the lot the price of which it is intended to indicate, substantially as set forth."

8. A means forprice-tagging goods arranged in lots each lot in a separate compartment of a cabinet, comprising a hanger with an eye engaging a staple in serted in the lower corner of the top of each compartment with its legs straddling said corner, whereby said hanger may swing freely around said corner, and a tag detachably secured to the lower end of said hanger, substantially as set forth.

7. A means for price-tagging goods arranged in lots each lot in a compartment of a display structure, comprising a hanger attached to swingfrom the corner of the display structure immediately above and in front of the goods in the compartment and having a tag hung thereon for indicating the price of each unit in the lot in said compartment, said hanger being attached to said display structureby an attaching member having a loop for engaging said hanger which loop extends around the corner of the part of the display struc- 9. A means for price tagging goods which goods are arranged in lots in a compartment of a display cabinet each lot composed of itemsof the same sales value, com prising a removably mounted swinging hanger carrying a price mark indicating the sales price of each 'item' in the lot and & I 1,297,405

hung in a position in front of said lot so this 29th day of January, A. D. nineteen that the goods and the price come Within hundred and eighteen.

the same focus of the eye, substantially as CLARENCE. SAUNDERS. [1 1. s.] set forth. 7 Witnesses: I 5 In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set JOHN W. FARLEY,

my hand and seal at Memphis, Tennessee, C. C. WALKER. 

